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Prescription Medications You Should Avoid Mixing With Weed

There are 9 prescription medications you should avoid if you are a cannabis consumer. Drug interactions are quite complicated. Not only might two substances interact with each other, but they may also interact with whatever anomalies you may have going on with your personal biochemistry.

The more prescription medications you add in, the more challenging things become. It’s important to note that the information presented in this article is far from complete and intended for educational purposes only. Always work with a medical professional when testing out new drug interactions.

Excerpts reposted from Herb.com original article written by Anna Wilcox

In 2010, the opioid painkiller propoxyphene was withdrawn from the U.S. market. The compound is known to be toxic to the heart, even in doses formerly considered therapeutic.

If you happen to have any leftover propoxyphene medications, it is best to not use them. It’s also unwise to mix them with cannabis.

Drugs that contain propoxyphene include:

Balacet

Darvon (Compound 32, Compound 65, N)

Darvoset (N 100, A500, N 50)

PC-Cap

PP-Cap

Propacet 100

Propoxyphene Compound 65

Trycet

Wygesic

Ironically, buprenorphine is an opioid pain prescription medications that is also used to treat opioid addiction. As an opioid, this drug is also thought to have a high potential for addiction.

In high doses, this drug can also cause respiratory distress, coma, and death. When combined with cannabis, the risk of these things increases, since both substances depress the central nervous system.

Both buprenorphine and cannabis are sedatives which means the chance of being overly sedated with this combination is high.

Common drugs that contain buprenorphine include:

Butrans

Belbuca

Bunavail

Buprenex

Probuphine

Suboxone

Subutex

Zubslov

Levomethadyl acetate is synthetic opioid painkiller similar to methadone. This drug is sold under the brand name Orlaam. Like other painkillers, this drug can cause some sedation. Mixing Orlaam with cannabis can be so sedative that it is uncomfortable and may even be physically dangerous.

Those taking beta blockers or other blood pressure prescription medications should be particularly cautious, as both substances can have opposite effects on heart rate. Beta blockers reduce blood pressure but slow heart rate. In regular consumers, there’s a chance that cannabis may amplify the effects of beta blockers by having an additive effect on slowing heartbeat. Either way, it’s a tricky mix.

Benzodiazepines are powerful sedatives in their own right. While there are certainly a lot of people out there who mix benzos with cannabis, this can make for a powerful and uncomfortable experience. Common prescription medications of benzodiazepines include:

Ativan

Klonopin

Xanax

Only minor interactions are noted for mixing cannabis with some of the most common SSRIs. Some evidence suggests that cannabis compounds may increase the effect of some SSRIs, like Prozac. Those with manic depression (bipolar disorder) or at risk for manic depression have reason to be more mindful of potential mood alterations when mixing these two types of medications. Both cannabis and SSRIs also increase serotonin.

Lexapro

Prozac

Zoloft

Paxil

Both SNRIs and cannabis can cause serotonin fluctuations, which may make you more likely to develop sudden serotonin syndrome or have other unwanted mood side effects. Further, some cannabis compounds may increase blood concentrations of antidepressant drugs. Though, there is little research on this topic. SNRI’s are also used to treat nerve pain.

Some common SNRIs include:

Effexor

Cymbalta

Pristiq

Antipsychotic prescription medications are tranquilizers. High-THC cannabis can also be sedating, meaning that there are some possible interactions between these two substances. When consumed together, symptoms should be closely monitored.

Some common antipsychotic prescription medications include:

Seroquel

Abilify

Clozaril

Geodon

Zyprexa

Sodium oxybate is an anti-sleep medication that is often used to treat narcolepsy. When combined with cannabis, patients may risk depressing the central nervous system a little too much.